Christmas in Mystic Falls
by Aprilrose1990
Summary: Christmas in Mystic Falls! Stefan's still upset about Enzo killing his girlfriend. Damon's still getting used to being back in the real world. Jeremy's still shaken up about Bonnie not coming back. Heather and Caroline are silently pining. Elena is perfectly happy for once. The girls are determined to make this holiday special for the boys they care about. Rating will go up.
1. Mistletoe Mishap

_**Disclaimer: **_I certainly don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters. Just Heather and the plot.

_**Inside Summary: **_I feel that this is necessary, since the story summaries don't give you much room. So:

Stefan's still seething over the loss of his girlfriend, whom had her neck snapped Enzo when everyone was still looking for a way to bring Damon and Bonnie back from the other side.

Damon's still getting used to the real world after being legitally dead for almost a year.

Jeremy's still shaken up over Bonnie not coming back from the other side.

Elena, Caroline and Heather are holiday spirit crazed, Christmas pushing junkies set on making this Christmas perfect for the boys that they care about.

"It's December!" Heather said gleefully as she flung her arms out and spun around in the middle of the Salvatore's driveway, her long bronze hair fanning out around her. She stopped abruptly and put her hands on her hips as Jeremy just stood there, unenthusiastic.

"What's the big deal about December? It's just a month." He declared dully. Heather tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as she stared at the brown haired boy.

"What's the big deal about December?" She asked, her voice high and squeaky. She skipped over and took his gloved hand in hers, then looked around. "December means Christmas, Jeremy. And look at this!" She exclaimed, throwing her free arm out to gesture around them. "This snow is absolutely—"

"If you say 'a winter wonderland', I'll be forced to shove a snowball in your face." Jeremy interrupted, half joking, half serious. Heather gave him a look and scoffed.

"I was _gonna_ say, it's beautiful. It's all sparkly in the sun. And the tree and presents and cookies and stockings and Christmas carols and the food—" She stopped when she saw Jeremy was just blankly looking out over the snow covered property. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped his hand, taking a step away from him. she clasped her hands behind her back and bowed her head, trying to think. It suddenly dawned on her as she raised her head to look around and caught sight of the bedazzled porch. A grin spread over her face and she turned to Jeremy again. "There is one thing about Christmas I've always taken for granted until now." She said. Jeremy gave her a blank look and her smile widened as she reached out and took his hand again, tugging him towards the porch.

"Heather, what are you doing?" He asked, but went along with her anyway. If he had learned anything from living with Elena, it this: the more you smile and nod and agree with whatever is said, the easier it'll be.

Mistletoe, Jer. I've always taken mistletoe for granted." She gave him a teasing smile as he gave her his half- hearted Jeremy smile.

"You drug me under the mistletoe, didn't you?" He asked. She pointed up and he looked in the direction her finger was pointing, his face flushing a little bit.

"You have to kiss me, Jer. It's the rules." Heather said in a playful, scolding voice. He raised an eyebrow.

"The rules?" He asked. She grinned like a little kid in a candy store and nodded.

"Yeah, the Christmas rules." She clasped her hands in front of her, then raised them and tucked them under her chin, tilting her head slightly. "Come on, Jer, don't act like you don't want to." He raised his eyebrows and thought about it for a minute. Then shrugged.

He muttered something about how he was the one that was supposed to be seventeen and they leaned forward. Their lips had just grazed when the front door flew open. "Well, what do we have here?" Damon Salvatore asked snidely. Heather opened her eyes and glanced at Jeremy, then bit her lip and turned to Damon, her mouth open and ready with an insult, when Damon kept talking. "Are you going to come in or stand out here and make out on my front porch?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"We had hardly made it to the making out, thank you Damon." She responded, crossing her arms. "It's _Christmas._ There's mistletoe. And when you're under the mistletoe, you kiss. You're how old and don't know this?" She asked.

Instead of responding with a snarky remark, Damon closed his eyes and mumbled, "I _really_ hate Christmas."

"Me too." Jeremy added. Heather hesitated, then turned to Jeremy, her eyes wide with hurt. Jeremy lowered his eyes, not being able to look at her. She stared at him for a minute, then turned and stomped past Damon into the house. Damon let out a low whistle.

"Look at you, little Gilbert. Breaking hearts." He smirked. Jeremy jerked his head up, narrowing his eyes. He was about to say something back, but stopped when both boys heard their names being spoke inside.

"Elena!" Heather whined, stopping in front of Elena and Caroline, who were hunched over a clip board. Elena glanced up and saw Heather's pouty face, the noted Damon and Jeremy standing in the doorway.

"What did Damon do now?" She asked with a sigh. Heather shifted her feet and crossed her arms.

"Your boyfriend and brother are tryin to form a bromance." She whined. Caroline raised an eyebrow and looked over Heather's shoulder at the two boys. Jeremy had stepped inside, but neither of them had made a further move.

"Funny. I always pictured him with Stefan." Caroline mused. Elena squeaked and smacked Caroline.

"Ew. Care, come on. that's my brother." The brunette responded, making a disgusted face. Heather laughed and turned to look at them.

"I don't know, Care. Jeremy is kind of all dark and dangerous nowadays. Very Damon like." Heather said, looking the two up and down. They burst into a fit of giggles as Damon and Jeremy made their way into the foyer.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Jeremy muttered, throwing his coat on the couch, still not looking at Heather. Her shoulders sagged once again as she noticed this and she turned to Caroline and Elena.

"What are we doing and how can I help?" She asked, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Well, I'm doing the lights, Elena's doing the stockings and we're _all_ going to do the tree later when we're done with everything else. Heather, you can do the mistletoe." Caroline gave the boys stern looks, to which they just rolled their eyes. heather's eyebrows shot up and she darted a glance at Jeremy when Caroline handed her the bunch of mistletoe.

"Yeah, mistletoe. Right." She muttered, then looked at the other two girls. "Speaking of mistletoe." She added, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh-oh. What happened?" Elena asked, then added, "What did Damon do?"

"Hey!" Damon called from the kitchen, where the sound of ice against glass could periodically be heard.

"Surprisingly, nothing. I'm blaming whoever put the mistletoe on the porch." She said, giving Caroline a pointed. Caroline froze briefly, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Bad place for it, just throwin that out there." She said, casting a quick glance at Jeremy. A glance she hoped went unnoticed. And it did, until Elena's eyebrows shot up and she lowered the clip board.

"Heather, did you and my brother get caught under the mistletoe?" She asked. Heather nodded wordlessly. Elena tried not to look amused, but failed. "Did you kiss my brother?" Heather looked down and shook her head softly. She glanced over her shoulder at Jeremy, who was in the process of putting his headphones in and still avoiding her eyes.

"No." She said in a soft, sad voice. "Damon pretty much killed that." She raised her head and looked at the girls, tears in her eyes. Elena bit her lip and hugged the girl, knowing how she felt. Caroline put on her determined puppy eyes as she looked over at Jeremy. "Care, don't. It doesn't matter. It was dumb, it doesn't matter." She mumbled and took the mistletoe. She sighed as she turned around and started for the living room, but promptly stopped and headed towards the stairs. Caroline and Elena exchanged looks, then looked at Jeremy, then Heather's retreating form.


	2. The Talk

_**Chapter Summary: **__Elena recruits Damon to talk to Jeremy about Heather. Damon takes Jeremy outside to talk, where Jeremy opens up and vents. Heather accidentally overhears said venting when Caroline sends her out for the rest of the decorations. Heather then takes Damon;s jeep and makes a run to town for cookie supplies._

_**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I still don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of their characters.**_

Elena watched Heather walk off and Jeremy sink onto the couch. She thought for a minute, then turned and headed into the kitchen. She planted herself in front of the breakfast bar and propped herself on her elbows, staring wide eyed at Damon. "You've got that look." He said without looking at her. She tilted her head and pretended confusion.

"What look?" She asked innocently. He looked up at her and smirked.

"That 'I'm gonna ask you to do something and then stand here and look cute until you do it' look." He responded. Her cheeks turned a little pink as she made her way around to his side of the bar and leaned against him.

"Well, I think you should go talk to Jeremy." She said simply. Damon paused and looked at her, an eyebrow raised.

"You want me to talk to your brother about Heather?" He asked incredulously. She nodded. "Elena, honey, I don't know if you noticed or not, but me and Heather don't exactly like each other." He told her. Elena gave him a look and he gave a dramatic sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll go. But you owe me one." She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh just go." She said and shooed him out of the kitchen, watching as he made his way to over Jeremy.

"What do you want, Damon?" Jeremy asked without looking up from his phone. Damon's jaw clenched as he stared down at the younger boy.

"Jeremy, come outside and help me bring in some firewood. Elena said so." He said through clenched teeth when Jeremy opened his mouth to argue. Jeremy's mouth snapped shut and he stood up and wordlessly followed Damon out into the cold. They walked in silence for a minute, neither one of them being sure what to say. Finally, they stopped and Damon cleared his throat. "Jeremy, I know you're not exactly looking forward to Christmas this year, but Heather's trying." He said. Jeremy jammed his hands inside his pockets and shook his head.

"Yeah, trying a little too hard." He responded. Damon's raised an eyebrow, fighting to keep his temper under control.

"Maybe, but she's doing it for you, you idiot." He said. Jeremy just shook his head. They were quiet for a minute before Jeremy spoke again. "I know she's trying, but I'm not exactly feeling very holiday friendly this year." Damon stared at him, swallowing hard.

"You are an idiot. Heather's-" Damon paused, feeling bile rise in his throat just thinking about the words that were getting ready to come out of his mouth. "Heather's sweet, funny, pretty, smart and, for some unknown reason, she's interested in you."

"I don't _want_ her, Damon! I don't want anyone!" Jeremy yelled at him. Damon flinched a little, but stood his ground.

"Because she's not Bonnie?" He asked. Jeremy paused, then turned away, his shoulders sagging.

"Yeah, because she's not Bonnie." He turned back to Damon. "She's _not _Bonnie." He repeated, his voice rising. "And she will _never_ be Bonnie!" Damon stared at him, unblinking for a minute. Then they heard a small squeak and both turned to see Heather standing there, her hazel eyes wide.

"I, uh, Caroline sent me out to, uh, get the rest of the, uh, ornaments." She stuttered, pointing at Caroline's Dodge Avenger. "I, uh, didn't mean to uh, overhear. I'm sorry." Her voice was starting to break with every word she uttered. Even from the distance they were apart, Damon could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she ducked her head, letting her hair fall in her face and made her way to the car, grabbing the last box of ornaments out of the trunk. Neither boy moved an inch, and without another word, she turned and went back inside, her steps quick. When the door shut, Damon turned to look at Jeremy, his eyebrow raised.

"Well, now you've done it." He said matter of factly. Jeremy closed his eyes and sighed as he followed Damon back into the house. They paused in the doorway of the kitchen where Heather was talking to Elena and Caroline while trying to keep her voice steady. Both girls were looking at her with eyes full of concern.

"I'm gonna run to town real quick. I was on cookie duty and forgot to buy everything for them cause I was, you know, distracted by Jeremy." She told them, clearly not knowing they were standing right behind her. Damon heard the emotion in her voice, and he could tell Elena knew there was something wrong as soon as she glanced over Heather's shoulder and saw Jeremy's guilty, deer caught in the headlights look.

"How would you get there, honey?" Caroline asked. "My Avenger won't make it with the storm that's rolling in, you're Aveo won't make it and neither will Elena's Corolla." The girls were silent with thought until Damon cleared his throat. Heather spun around, her breath audibly catching in her throat when she laid eyes on Jeremy.

"She can take my jeep." Damon said, giving Heather a knowing look. She gave him a small, brief grateful smile. Elena caught this brief exchange and tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Damon. He looked at her and gave a little jerk of his, motioning to Jeremy. Elena's gaze turned to a fiery glare as she looked at Jeremy, who shifted his eyes away real fast. Damon fished the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to her. She caught them in midair with one hand and started towards the doorway, pausing when he called, "But be careful, that storm is coming in fast and it's going to be a bad one." She raised a hand in acknowledgement and pushed past Jeremy, slamming her shoulder into his arm, causing him to flinch a little. They watched her as she headed out the door, slamming it behind her.


	3. Confrontation

Three hours later, Elena, Caroline, Damon and Jeremy were gathered in the foyer, waiting for Heather to get back. The blizzard had picked up so much, that you couldn't see out the window, except to note that the trees looked like they were encased in glass. The door opened and Heather stumbled in, covered from head to toe in snow, bags hanging from her arms. "Hey guys." She said with a bright smile. Caroline moved forward to take the bags as the others looked at her with concern.

"Are you drunk?" Jeremy asked, taking a half step forward. "And what's that smell?" He asked, sniffing the air between them. "Are you stoned?" Heather flashed him a glossy smile.

"Maybe." She said simply. Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

"How much have you had?" He asked. Heather crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to another. She raised her hand and tapped her chin with her finger, then shrugged.

"I don't know. Four? No, five, whiskey sours and two whiskey shots. I stopped by the Grill and waited out the storm and had a few drinks with Matt while I was there." Jeremy's face darkened slightly at the mention of Heather drinking with Matt.

"Honey, why didn't you call to let us know? We were worried." Caroline said in a soft, concerned voice. Heather looked at her and gave her and Elena sad looks.

"I guess I didn't think bout. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you guys." She said. Elena and Caroline immediately hugged her and assured her it was ok.

"You had _five_ whiskey sours and you _drove_ back in this weather?" Jeremy asked incredulously. Heather pulled away from the girls and gave him a hard look.

"Why do you care? You don't. I could be dead in a ditch right now and you wouldn't care." Heather spat at him. His eyes widened and Elena put her hand on Heather's shoulder.

"Heather," She started to say, but Heather cut her off.

"No Elena, it's true. He wouldn't care. _Because I'm not Bonnie!_" She snapped, looking back at Jeremy. Everyone froze, Caroline and Elena looking stunned and Damon not looking surprised, as he had heard this outside.

"That's not-" Jeremy started but Heather raised her hand to stop him.

"Yes it is. And I'm done talkin bout it." She said simply and started forward, pushing past him. He reached out and grabbed her arm, but she pulled away from him and turned to face him.

"Uh-oh. I don't think this is going to end well." Damon whispered to Elena who looked like she wanted to step in, but knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Don't. you don't get to say what you did out there and then pretend you care!" She turned around and started to walk away.

Jeremy stared after her for a minute, then muttered, "Oh, no, no, no!" And picked up a plastic ornament and chucked it at her, hitting her smack in the back of the head

"Ow-why?! Why-why did you do that?" She asked, spinning around to look at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Quit being a brat to people who care about you." He ordered. Heather crossed her arms and looked at him coldly.

"Parental Authority: I like it. Especially cause you're younger than me. What are you gonna do? Ground me?" She asked, taking a step forward. "Take away my car?" Another step forward. "Break my heart? Trust me, Jer. There aint anything you can do to me that aint already been done." She said, her eyes wide.

"You don't understand!" He exclaimed. Heather threw her hands up. Damon stuck his head into the foyer and asked Elena and Caroline if they wanted some popcorn, since he was making some. Caroline rolled her eyes and Elena swatted at him as he ducked back into the kitchen.

"What don't I understand Jeremy? I don't understand what it's like to lose someone I care about? I don't know what its like to feel so alone you can barely function? I don't know what its like to have your heart broken by someone you care bout because you'll never be their ex girlfriend?" Her voice rose with every other word as she took one last step forward, closing the distance between them and looked up at him. "_I_ don't understand? _You're _the one that doesn't understand! I _do_ know what it's like. Do you know how bad you broke my heart out there? Do you wanna know what my heart feels like right now?" She reached out and picked up a whiskey glass off the table and hurled it, throwing it against the wall, where it shattered into pieces. They all froze as they stared in horror at the pile of glass.

"What just broke?" Damon asked, flashing into the living room behind Jeremy. "That _better not _be one of my whiskey glasses." He warned in dark voice. Heather shot him a glance, but looked back at Jeremy.

"You see that Jeremy?" She asked, pointing at the glass. "_That's _how my heart feels right now!" She cried, her voice breaking the more it rose. Then, without another look at any of them, except a small apologetic look to Damon, she turned and disappeared into the library. Jeremy stared after her, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he turned and headed in the opposite direction. They cringed when they heard the basement door slam shut.


	4. Heather and Damon

Damon, Caroline and Elena watched as, once again, Heather and Jeremy headed in different directions. "Well, that could have gone better." Damon said matter of factly. Caroline looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"You think so?" She asked sarcastically.

"What are we going to do about them?" Elena asked, her voice full of worry. There was a moment of silence, the wheels in Damon's head turning.

"Maybe we've been going about this all wrong." He said slowly. The girls turned to look at him in confusion.

"We messed up when we sent Damon to talk to Jeremy. Damon relates more to what Heather's going through, not Jeremy." She explained excitedly.

Elena nodded slowly. "So, you think we should Stefan to talk to Jeremy? But," She paused and gave Damon a concerned look. "that would mean you would have to talk to Heather…" Damon nodded. "But you and Heather hate each other."

Damon nodded, then shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "We may hate each other, but we relate. That's what's going to help."

Elena still looked worried. "I guess…"

Damon leaned down and kissed her. "I'm gonna find Stefan. Who knows what he's doing, though. Journaling. Brooding. Shaping his hair…" Elena giggled and smacked at him as he headed off upstairs. She watched him, worry evident on her face.

"Come on." Caroline said, linking her arm through Elena's. "Let's go start the cookies." Elena smiled at her and allowed the blond to lead her into the kitchen.

"Stefan," Damon said walking into his brother's bedroom. "We require your assistance." Stefan looked up from his book.

"With?" He asked, glancing back at the page. Damon stared at him a minute, then walked over the dresser and leaned against it, crossing his arms.

"This whole, Jeremy/Heather thing. We're trying to sort it out, but it went all wrong." He said. Stefan looked up at him again and nodded, confused.

"Hmm."

"Elena sent me to talk to Jeremy about it and that didn't go so well. Heather overheard what he said, got hurt, there was a big fight and here we are. Now, we think we can clear it up, we just approached it the wrong way."

"Meaning?"

Damon groaned in frustration, then walked over and out his hands on the table. "Jeremy is still holding onto Bonnie. You know about losing a girlfriend the way he did. Heather wants Jeremy, but can't have him. I know what that's like."

Stefan closed his book and leaned back in his chair. "So you want me to talk to Jeremy." He stated.

Damon grinned. "Now you got it." He patted Stefan on the shoulder. "Come on, brother. Strap on your hero hair and let's go save the day."

"What do you want, Damon?" Heather, who was stretched out on the couch with her arm over her eyes asked. Damon paused next to the couch.

"I swear, if I hear that one more time today, I'm going to freaking eat someone." He said through clenched teeth.

"Oohh. Damon has his 'Savior Of The Universe' going on." Heather responded, ignoring the threat.

"Oh ha ha. You're hilarious." He said.

"I think so." She responded.

"I'm here to talk some sense into you." He said, shoving Heather's feet off the couch and sitting down. She glared at him, then shifted her body so she was slouching against the back of the couch.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore, Damon." She promptly stated. Damon shrugged and patted her leg.

"Well to bad. We're going to talk about it." He told her firmly. They sat in silence, Heather sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, not about to say anything.

"Why? It's not like you care." She snapped suddenly. "Much less understand. I mean, come on. you've got this house, your brother and the perfect girlfriend. How could you possibly understand?"

Damon sighed. "She wasn't always _my_ perfect girlfriend." He said. Heather flashed him a questioning look. "Believe it or nor, I know what it's like to want someone even though you can't have them." His voice was pained, which just intrigued Heather more. She turned to look at him.

"You didn't?" She asked. He smiled fondly and shook his head.

"Nah. She loved Stefan once. At first, anyway. Even after Stefan lost him humanity, she still fought for him. and I found myself pining over and lusting over someone I couldn't have." Heather looked even more interested and turned the rest of the way to face him, tucking her foot up under her.

So, then, how'd you get her?" Damon stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the snow.

"That was the hard part. I realized I had to back off, give her space and just be there for her. I had to support her decision to keep fighting for Stefan." He said in a voice Heather couldn't quite place.

Heather's eyes widened as she slumped back against the couch again. "You think I'm tryin to hard." She stated sadly, gazing down at her lap.

Damon turned to look at her. "No, I think you're doing everything right. Except you have to let him know that you understand why he feels he way he does and that you want to be there for him." He paused. "You do understand why he feels like this, right?"

Heather sighed in defeat. "Because it's his first Christmas without Bonnie since he was seven. I know that. I was just trying to make it better for him. that's all."

Damon flashed a rare half smile. "I know kid. He just doesn't understand that. He's hurting a lot."

Heather leaned forward and out her head in her hands. "I need to apologize to Elena and Caroline." She mumbled. She sighed and stood up, hesitating. She debated with herself for a minute before she walked over to Damon. He raised an eyebrow as they stared at each other for another minute. "Damon." She swallowed hard and hugged him. "Thanks."

He hesitated, then returned her hug and rubbed her back. "You're welcome." He said smiling, then added, "but don't get used to it."

She laughed and pulled away as they headed for the door. "I wouldn't dream of it. Where would all the fun be if you decided to be nice?"


	5. Stefan and Jeremy

"Jeremy? How you doing man?" Stefan asked, poking his head out the backdoor. Jeremy, who was looking out over snow, shrugged.

"Been better." He said, shoving his ungloved hands in his jeans pocket. Stefan saw he was visibly shaking, but didn't offer him a coat or anything.

Stefan walked outside and leaned against the house. "I know. It's weird how crazy things get with girls, huh?"

Jeremy scoffed. Why do girls have to care so much, anyway?" He asked bitterly. Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I guess it's just in their personality and character. They cant help it." He responded.

"Yeah, well, I wish they didn't." Jeremy said, still bitter.

"You don't mean that, Jeremy." Stefan said. Jeremy tensed.

"Yeah, I do." He said nodding. "I just wanna be left alone." Silence fell over them as Stefan wracked his brain, trying to figure out what to say next.

"You know she means well, Jer." He said. More silence followed and Stefan could all but see the wheels in Jeremy's head turning.

"Yeah, well, I wish she didn't." He repeated. Stefan sighed.

"I know how you feel, Jeremy. You lost Bonnie and your having a hard time dealing with it. And that's ok. I feel the same way" Jeremy looked at Stefan.

"It's just hard." He responded in a softer voice.

Stefan nodded. "I know it is. But it's ok to move on, to." Stefan said and held up his hand when Jeremy opened his mouth. "Moving on doesn't mean you have to forget Bonnie."

Jeremy snorted. "Yeah, because you've done so good at moving on." Stefan was silent for a minute before responding.

"Yeah, well, I have, actually. She just doesn't know it yet," Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

"You mean Caroline?" He whispered. Stefan chuckled.

"I mean Caroline. You know why? Because Ivy would want me to. She wouldn't want me sitting around moping. And Bonnie wouldn't want you to either, would she?" Stefan looked at Jeremy when he shifted his weight to his other foot.

"No, I guess she wouldn't." He finally said. Stefan patted Jeremy on the shoulder.

"Just give her a shot. She's not that bad." Stefan said. Jeremy was silent as Stefan went inside and left him with his thoughts.


	6. Cookies

Heather shyly walked into the kitchen, standing quietly as she went over her apology again in her head. Caroline and Elena looked up. "Guys? I just wanted to say…I'm sorry…"

Elena smiled. "It's alright, Heather. Really. Believe me, I know how frustrating Jeremy can be." Heather smiled. Caroline laughed.

"Yeah, you weren't here for his stoner stage. He was a major brat." Caroline said through her laughter.

Heather grinned. "I'm sure he was." She paused for a second. "I wanted to apologize for what happened after I got back from the cookie run. I wasn't really that drunk. I only had two whiskey sours. I was really just talking to Matt. I thought it would help to talk to a mutual party."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "So you go talk to the best friend of the guy you're interested in?" She asked. Heather was silent, looking like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Caroline laughed again. "It's ok. Matt's a good listener."

Heather nodded. "He is. Jeremy just made me so mad. Sayin what he did outside and then suddenly actin like he cares. I just couldn't stand it. So I'm sorry for that, too."

Caroline reached over and put her hand on Heather's arm. "It's really ok. Wanna help us make cookies? We're debating on which ones to make first. Elena says Damon's." She said, making a face.

Heather raised an eyebrow. "Why is Damon so special?"

"Because, if we don't make his first, he'll be in here bothering un until we do." Heather nodded.

"Ah, touché. Which ones are Damon's?" She asked.

"Oatmeal raisin." Caroline responded. Heather wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Eww!" She squealed.

"Hey, lay off my cookies. They're not bad." Damon said, sauntering into the kitchen and dipping his finger in the batter.

"Damon, go away." Elena protested. Damon raised an eyebrow and gave a dramatic bow.

"My pleasure. Like I want to be around a bunch of squealing, gossiping girls, anyway." The girls exchanged looks.

"Go away, Damon." They responded at the same time. He raised his hands in mock defense and backed out of the kitchen.

"Ok, Damon has oatmeal raisin…" She said, breaking off in question.

""Stefan has the chocolate chip." Caroline responded.

"And Jeremy has the chocolate macadamia nut." Elena said.

"Am I the only that feels like we're baking cookies a bunch of little kids?" Caroline asked. Heather and Elena laughed. They stopped abruptly when the back door opened and Jeremy walked in.

"Hey! I resent that!" He said, walking around the island and standing next to Heather. Hey, chocolate macadamia. My favorite." He said, reaching over to dip his finger in the batter. Elena smacked him the the back of the spoon and he pulled back.

"Jer, we just shooed Damon out of here." She said, hands on her hips. Jeremy grinned and looked at Heather, who turned a little pink with surprise, as this was the first time he had really given her any attention that wasn't negative.

Alright, alright. I'm going." He said, flashing one more smile before disappearing into the living room.

"What was that about?" Caroline asked, clearly as confused as Heather. Elena shrugged.

"I have no idea."

A few hours later, they were pulling the last batch of cookies out of the oven. "Finally! They're done!" caroline exclaimed in relief. Heather, who was pouring glasses of milk, nodded in agreement.

"It's about time, too. Between Jeremy and Damon, I thought I was gonna go crazy." She said, recalling the last few hours of Damon and Jeremy going in and out of the kitchen, tormenting them as they did.

Elena laughed and picked up Damon's cookies and Caroline picked up the chocolate chip. "Yeah, tell me about it." She paused and looked at Heather. "Do you want me to take those?" She asked, motioning towards Jeremy's cookies. Heather hesitated, then shook her head.

"No, I think it'll be ok." She said smiling. Elena continued to look unsure.

"She's probably right. Jeremy was pretty chill. And he didn't even smell like weed." The girls laughed and headed Heather walked into the living room and paused by the couch, hesitating before she set the cookies on the table.

Jeremy looked up at her and smiled. Hey thanks. They look great." He said. She looked surprised as she handed him the glass of milk.

"You want one?" He asked as he reached for a cookie. She hesitated, because now that they were alone, she could hear an underlying bitterness in his voice and a hardness in his eyes that wasn't there when he was going in and out of the kitchen. She finally sat down, a good distance away from him and took a cookie.


	7. I Never

Damon stepped into the foyer a few minutes later and looked around. "Everyone, assemble in the library. Now."

"Excuse me, since when do we answer you to?" Caroline appeared in the doorway with her arms crossed.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Sine this is my house." Jeremy turned around and looked at him over the back of the couch.

"And if we don't to?" He asked.

"To put it bluntly, you don't have a choice." Damon responded, glancing at Heather, who was sitting on the arm of the couch. Heather looked nervous, but flashed him a reassuring smile. Damon raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

Elena appeared at the bottom of the steps and smiled. "Just humor him. he likes to think he has some kind of control." Damon raised his eyebrows as the girls laughed, Heather's laugh coming out a little nervous. Elena narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything as she swung her eyes to Jeremy. Stefan laughed and ushered them all into library.

Everyone sat down as Damon produced multiple bottles of alcohol and distributed glasses. "Why am I not surprised that you want to drink?" Caroline asked, rolling her eyes.

"No one asked you, judgy." He said and addressed everyone else. "Today has been full of nothing but anger and depression." He paused and looked pointedly at Heather and Jeremy. "So, we're going to play a game."

Heather looked down at the glass she held, then up at Damon, her eyes wide with realization. "Oh no! I'm not playin this game. No way. Nuh-uh."

"Ok, now you're being childish." Damon said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm bein for real. I'm not playin this game. I refuse." She responded, crossing her arms.

"Come on Heather. What're you afraid of?" Jeremy asked suddenly. Heather narrowed her eyes.

"Fine, then let's play." Elena eyes them suspiciously and leaned towards Caroline.

"I thought they were getting along?" She whispered. Caroline shrugged.

"I thought they were too." She whispered back. "But you never know with Jeremy." Elena nodded in agreement.

"I never had sex with a vampire." Stefan broke in.

Caroline and Elena looked at him. "Mean." They said and drank. Damon grinned like a cat that caught the canary and drank.

"I never was in love with a werewolf." Damon said with a smirk. Caroline shot him a glare and drank.

"I'veee never been an asshole to someone who was only trying to care." Jeremy flashed her a smirk and drank.

"I never tried to hard to get someone I can never have." Jeremy shot back. Everyone paused, their eyes on Jeremy and Heather as they thought about it. Heather froze and narrowed her eyes. Damon caught her eyes, grinned like it was no big deal and they both drank.

"I never lost someone close to me/" Elena put in, trying to break the tension. They all paused again, remembering, then drank.

Heather thought for a minute and, coming up with nothing else, replied with, "I never lied to get what I wanted." Everyone looked at Damon. Damon raised his eyebrows and drank.

"I never pushed someone away because of how hurt I was." Elena threw in. Damon, Caroline and Elena drank. Jeremy glared at Elena for a munute, then lifted the glass to his lips and Heather watched as the liquid slid down his throat.

"I never shattered anyone's good crystal whiskey glass." Damon said, casting a look at Heather, who stuck her tongue out at him and drank.

"I never kept a secret about something I was feeling deep down." Stefan said. Everyone looked at each other and drank.

"I never said things I didn't mean when I was upset." Caroline piped up. Elena looked at Jeremy when everyone but him drank. Jeremy rolled his eyes like she was being ridiculous and drank.

"I never tried to be something I wasn't, to impress someone else." Elena said. Damon and Stefan exchanged looks, then shrugged and drank.

Jeremy cleared his throat and glanced at Heather, who stared right back. "I never slept with someone close to a person I supposedly care about."

Heather narrowed her eyes. "Exactly what does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Jeremy responded.

"Jeremy, what are you talking about?" Elena asked.

"Matt." He said, not looking away from Heather. Heather's eyes widened.

"Here we go again." Caroline muttered to Elena.

"I didn't sleep with Matt!" Heather exclaimed, outraged by the thought. Jeremy scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Right. So you hung out at the bar for _three hours_, just talking to Matt." He threw at her. Heather glared him, her eyes full of ice.

"Yes, Jeremy, I did. because as hard as it may be for you to believe, not everyone sleeps around when they've been drinking." Heather spit at him.

"Would you?" Jeremy challenged. Heather narrowed her eyes.

"Sleep with Matt? Yes, I would!" She paused, looking down at the glass in her hands. "If I wasn't stupid and in love with someone else!" Her grip tightened on the glass. Heather stood up and turned to Damon, who was eying the glass warily. "I hope you're happy with the outcome of this game." I'm done." She shoved the glass into Damon's hands and stalked out.

Heather sighed, staring down at her journal. There was a soft knock on the door and Elena walked in. She hesitated for a minute, the walked over and sat on the bed. "Are you ok?" She asked.

Heather sighed. "I'm ok. I just—I'm done. I quit." She responded. Elena raised her eyebrows.

"Done? With what?" She asked, tilting her head a little bit.

Heather turned to look at her. "With Jeremy. I understand he's upset about Bonnie, I get that. I'm blond, not stupid. But I can't keep playin his games. He's hot, then he's cold, then he's hot again and I can't do it. I quit." Her voice was low and strained.

Elena put her hand on Heather's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I don't even know what's wrong with him." Elena said. Heather snorted.

"Tell me something I don't know." She paused for a minute. "I don't even know where he got the Matt thing."

"I don't either." Elena said standing and muttered, "But I'm going to find out." She headed for the door, then paused with her hand on the knob and turned to Heather. "Damon didn't mean for this to happen. I thought he was going to kill Jeremy when you left."

Heather remained silent, then sighed again. "I'll be fine, Elena. I'm just going to sit here and finish the last few pages of my journal."

Elena was coming down the stairs as Jeremy was passing by them. She flashed forward, grabbed him by the arm and shoved him onto the couch. "Elena, what the hell?" He said, attempting to stand up. She put her arm to stop him and he dropped back down. She crossed her arms.

"I want to know what the hell that was in there. Heather's a nice girl and I want to know what's wrong with you." She said.

Jeremy crossed his arms. "I'm not talking about it, Elena."

"Yes you are, Jeremy." She stated firmly.

No, I'm not. I don't want to talk about it with you, Damon, Stefan or Caroline. I don't want to talk about it and I'm not." Jeremy stated, just as firmly.

"Yes, you are, because if another one my whiskey glasses gets broken, it's going to be your ass." Damon threatened, appearing out of nowhere. Elena cast him a disapproving look, then looked back at Jeremy.

"Seriously, Jer, what's up? You're acting like you did when you were going through your annoying stoner phase. Is it about Bonnie?" She asked, concerned.

"It's not just about Bonnie! I don't want to talk about it, ok?" He asked irritably. Elena sighed.

"Fine, keep your secrets." She paused and pointed at him. "But stop playing your games with her, Jeremy, I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you _mom._" Elena flinched but said nothing as Jeremy walked out of the room.


	8. Chapter 8Under The MIstletoe

Caroline stood in the middle of the living room, her hands on her hips, surveying the room with a frown. Stefan sat in a chair, reading a book. Elena and Damon sat in the front of the fire, clearly discussing Heather and Jeremy. "Alright, that's it!" She called. Everyone looked at her, surprised. "This is ridiculous. It's Christmas." She walked over to the fireplace and hit the button on the CD player. Christmas music suddenly filled the room and Damon cringed.

"Care-." Elena started, but Caroline cut her of sharply.

"No, Elena. It's Christmas. It's time to start acting like it." She turned on her heel, her blond hair whipping out behind her, and marched over to Stefan and grabbed his hands, pulling him out of the chair. Stefan looked stunned and looked like he was going to attempt to fight it, but he sighed and gave in.

Damon glanced at Elena, watching her closely, waiting for her reaction in this sudden twist. He was surprised to find a soft smile on her face.

"Come on, Damon." She decided, climbing to her feet and pulling him up with her. Damon stood there, his arms crossed. Elena raised her big brown eyes to look at him and stuck out her lower lip. Damon swore and reluctantly gave in.

It wasn't long before the Salvatore brothers were competing; twirling, spinning and dipping Elena and Caroline. Stefan dropped Caroline into a crazy low dip and Damon spun Elena so fast, she almost couldn't stand steady when he finally stopped her.

Caroline and Elena laughed and shrieked with each dip, spin and twirl. Stefan twirled Caroline around the room and away from Damon and Elena, finally coming to a pause in the doorway to the foyer. Caroline, her face pink and her breathing heavy, glanced over at Elena and Damon and saw Elena's smile.

Caroline gave her a confused look and Damon pointed up. Caroline let her eyes slowly wander up to the ceiling and froze, her face flushing a deeper red as she looked back at Stefan. Stefan smiled at her, choosing not to respond.

They slowly leaned in and, as their lips met, fireworks went off in Caroline's head. As they finally broke apart, Stefan flashed her a smile and said, "Merry Christmas, Caroline."

Caroline grinned with tears in her eyes as she threw her arms around his neck. "Merry Christmas, Stefan."

_**Ok, I know this chapter is a little short, but I couldn't really think if anything else. I feel like I might have spent more time focusing on Heather and Jeremy and all my focus got out on them. So I apologize if this was disappointing for anyone. **_

_**Two more chapters until we're done!**_


	9. Midnight Confessions

With the day slowly drawing to an end, everyone decided it was best that they skip the one open present tradition and headed for bed. Wrapping presents and remembering Christmas pasts. Heather sat in the window sill, looking up at the moon. She glanced at the pile of wrapped presents on the floor next to the bed. She hopped off the window sill and grabbed her robe, wrapping it herself. She paused and looked at herself the mirror. She wore her fuzzy red pajama shorts that were trimmed in white fur and a green velvet tank top, which she only pulled out on Christmas. She sighed and walked out the door and down the hall. She paused at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Jeremy sitting cross legged in front of the tree.

Heather tightened her robe, then held her head up and started past the tree. "Hey, what are you doing up?" Jeremy asked, looking away from the tree. Heather's breath caught in her throat when she looked at him, bathed in the lights from the Christmas tree. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and reminded herself of the vow she made to be done with Jeremy Gilbert.

She hesitated, making her voice as cold as she could manage before she spoke. "Couldn't sleep and decided to get some water." He nodded wordlessly.

"I couldn't sleep either. I made some cocoa and it just got done. You want some?" He asked. She noted the sound of hope in his voice and gave him a suspicious look.

"Yeah, I guess." She said shortly. He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing a a couple minutes later with two glasses of delicious looking cocoa. Heather took her cup and started back towards the stairs, but stopped when Jeremy when spoke.

"Heather, I need to talk to you." The words made her pause, the wheels in her head turning. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Jeremy. I don't wanna talk. I just wanna try to go to sleep." She said. There was a long silence before he spoke again.

"Please?" He asked, his voice pleading. It was almost heartbreaking, but she was determined to stay strong.

She continued to hesitate, then turned and perched on the arm of the couch, crossing her arms. "I'm listening." She heard him sigh in relief.

He was silent for a minute then said, "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting." Heather closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Jeremy…" She started, but he cut her off, his voice sounding strained.

"No, I mean it. It's not that I don't like you, I do. I'm just…scared." He finished the last part in a whisper and Heather raised her eyebrows.

"Scared of what?" She asked doubtfully. Jeremy was silent for a minute.

"Well, you weren't here for it, but all my girlfriends die." He paused and Heather's eyes widened. "Vickie died, Anna died and Bonnie died. I'm afraid of getting close to someone else."

"Because they always die." Heather muttered and slid down next to Jeremy on the floor, both of them leaning against the couch as she stretched her legs out. "But Jeremy, that still don't…"

"I thought if I made you hate me, you'd give up. But you were so stubborn it didn't work." He sounded amused by the thought and Heather smiled.

She crossed her legs and leaned her back against the couch. "That's because when I want somethin, I go for it." Jeremy chuckled.

"I know, I figured that out." He paused and took a breath, letting it out slowly. "So I really am sorry."

They sat there in silence as Heather digested what he had just said. Sure, he had been a jerk the whole day, but he felt it was justified and, in a way, she supposed it was.

"It's ok, Jer, but I can't keep playin this game with you. I'm not equipped for it. Either you wanna give it a try or you don't, but don't keep playing this game." She gave him a pleading look.

"Heather." He sighed. "I have my share of baggage. I'm a mess…are you sure?" He asked cautiously.

She laughed and put her hand on his knee. "Jeremy, have you even met me? I'm a ticking time bomb. Yes, I'm sure." They looked at each other and Jeremy gave her a soft smile. Heather bit her lip, fighting a smile as Jeremy leaned in. They're lips met and she went warm all over, a pleasant chill running through her body.

She finally, and regretfully, pulled away. "I'm goin to bed. I know Hurricane Caroline is gonna be up bright and early." She balanced on her knees and leaned over and kissed him. "Goodnight, Jeremy."


	10. Christmas Morning

Just like Heather had predicted, Caroline was prancing through the house at six thirty that morning. After much groaning and complaining, everyone was gathered in the living room by seven sharp. Damon sat in the chair with Elena on his lap and Stefan and Caroline sat on the floor next to them. Caroline and Elena watched as Heather padded into the room with two cups of cocoa. They continued to watch as Heather handed a cup to Jeremy and sat down next to him on the couch. They're eyes widened when he put his arm around her and she snuggled against him.

"What do you think happened?" Elena whispered to Caroline as she stood up so Damon could pour a drink.

"I don't know." Caroline whispered back.

"Do you think we should say something?" Elena asked.

"Probably not a good idea." Stefan chimed in. he shrugged when both girls gave him incredulous looks. They feel silent as everyone started exchanging presents.

"Uh-oh." Caroline muttered, causing Elena to look up from the journal Caroline had gotten her.

"What?" She asked and followed Caroline's finger when she pointed, her gaze falling upon Damon, who was making his way over to Jeremy and Heather.

"So, what happened with you two?" He asked bluntly, crossing his arms. Heather and Jeremy exchanged looks. Heather looked up at Damon and shrugged.

"Well, we figured we did this whole thing wrong." She said simply. Damon raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" He asked

"Well, we were talking to everyone else." She glanced around the room.

"When we should have been talking to each other." Jeremy put in. Heather smiled up at him and leaned down and kissed her. She grinned when she saw that Elena and Caroline were fighting the urge to squeal.

"Well then." Damon said, clearly at a loss for words.

"What's this? Damon Salvatore rendered speechless?" Heather asked sweetly. Damon narrowed his eyes.

"You're not even in any position to…" He broke off when Heather shoved a wrapped box at him, His eyes widened when he opened it and saw the contents. "A whiskey glass…"

"Merry Christmas, Damon." She said with a grin. He remained speechless, which made Elena and Caroline giggle a little bit. "Care, Elena." She said, holding up two more presents. The two girls walked over and took their presents.

"Heather, you didn't have to get us anything…" Caroline, who was already opening her present started, but stopped and squealed as she lifted the black boots socks out of the box. Elena grinned at her friend and gasped when she saw the beautiful blue sapphire earring staring back at her.

"Thanks, Heather." Elena said with a small look of reproach. Her and Caroline looked at each other, smiled and each handed Heather a present. She beamed up at them and set them aside for the moment.

"Yo! Stefan!" Stefan held up his hand and Heather chucked the box, which Stefan caught in one swift movement.

"Hey, check that out. That's pretty cool." Stefan said, showing Caroline the watch as he looked at it appreciatively.

"Oh, Jer, by the way." She pulled a small box out from behind her back and pressed it into his hands.

His mouth opened and closed, no words coming out for a minute before he recovered. "Heather, you really didn't have to, especially after I was such a jerk." He turned the box over and over in his hands.

"Yeah but—I wanted to." She shifted away and watched his eyes widen he laid eyes on the contents.

"Oh my God, Heather…" He said tearfully as he lifted the necklace out of the box.

"You don't have to wear it." Heather said with a small smile. "I just thought you'd like it."

"What is it?" Elena asked, walking over again. Jeremy turned the open locket towards her to reveal a picture of him and Bonnie. Elena gasped and raised a hand to her mouth.

"Why?" She asked.

Heather flashed her a smile and looked at Jeremy, her eyes full of love and admiration. "Because I figured, what better way to show how much I love you, than to show you I accept that you'll never forget Bonnie, and that I'm ok with that?"

Jeremy looked at her, trying to blink back tears. Thank you." He mumbled and pulled her into a hug. "Merry Christmas."

_**And we are done. I hope you all liked it! I've already got a new idea or two I'm playing with. Stay tuend!**_


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